ALPA’s 106th Executive Board Meeting

ALPA Executive Board Assesses Progress, Prepares
for Fall BOD

ALPA’s pilot leaders gathered for the first of the
two-day 106th regular meeting of the Association’s
Executive Board. During the opening plenary session,
senior leadership reported on the challenges facing
the Association and the progress ALPA pilots are
making to advance their profession.

“Hurry up and
wait” was the theme of ALPA President John Prater’s
report [read the text
|
watch the video]. He recounted the forward-moving steps the
Union has experienced in the last 18 months.
However, we’re still waiting for closure on many
issues, Prater said.

“Just over a year ago, I spoke to you about the
difference a government could make when it was not
afraid to say the word ‘union.’ In the first 100
days, the administration confirmed nominees to the
National Mediation Board. They confirmed a former
ALPA leader as the FAA administrator, and a new
effort to revise 50-year-old flight-time/duty-time
regulations soon began,” Prater said.

Prater talked about the gains made with the new
Hawaiian pilot contract negotiated earlier this year
and its influence on negotiations for pilot groups
at carriers like Spirit, Jazz, Trans States,
Continental, United, and others.

Prater also briefed the Executive Board on the
status of the Association’s ongoing legislative and
regulatory efforts to improve pilot working
conditions. “The fatigue issue for our pilots is too
important to be sidetracked by claims of economic
woes,” he said. “Since some parties of the fatigue
Aviation Rulemaking Committee have conveniently
changed their tune, ALPA suggested to the decision
makers on Capitol Hill that the FAA bill should
include a hard 12-hour cap on duty day and eight
hours flight time if a final rule isn’t published by
January 1 of next year.”

The ALPA president also talked about organizing
campaigns, efforts to thwart proposed legislation to
install cockpit video cameras, the ALPA National
Security Committee’s white paper on trust-based
security systems, and recent progress with CrewPASS.
“I fully expect one ALPA airline to confirm the
implementation of CrewPASS very soon.

“As ALPA leaders, these are just a few of the
initiatives you and our Board of Directors set to
build a better tomorrow for our pilots. And as our
Board prepares to meet this fall to update our
strategic plan, it’s time to proudly lead our pilots
through this industry-changing era,” said Prater.

Broadening our perspective

ALPA first vice-president Capt. Paul Rice’s
presentation detailed the many air transport
services negotiations with other countries and the
ramifications of these decisions. “The United States
has recently reached an Open Skies accord with the
European Union, India, and Japan, among others,
bringing the total number of countries with Open
Skies agreements to nearly 100,” he noted. “Along
the same topic in Canada, Transport Minister John
Baird has signed a new air transport agreement
negotiated with the EU in December 2009.” Rice
emphasized that active engagement in these talks and
careful scrutiny of all proposed changes are
paramount to protecting foreign ownership and
control rules as well as current cabotage limits.

“One of the challenges in working together is our
endlessly evolving industry. In many countries, the
once-standard business model of a large,
state-supported national carrier is disappearing,
and with it a single pilot group with its inherent
unity of purpose and ease of communication. In other
countries, it’s illegal for pilots to form a union
or even to congregate as professionals. Amidst these
formidable challenges, we are finding new
opportunities to cultivate a global pilot
community,” he said.

Rice talked about ALPA’s newly formed Railway
Labor Act Study Group to assess the efficiency and
relevance of the rules governing U.S. aviation labor
negotiations. He also discussed his service as
deputy president of the International Federation of
Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA). “I am leaving
the deputy president post at IFALPA in very capable
hands. I have full confidence in the gravitas and
guidance that Capt. Don Wykoff will bring to the
position,” he said.

Increasing ALPA numbers, improving ALPA
service

“With the addition of two new pilot groups to our
ranks over the past six months, our Association
continues to affirm ALPA’s Unity Resolution, adopted
at the 2000 Board of Directors Meeting to reach
ALPA’s goal of representing all airline pilots in
the U.S. and Canada,” ALPA
vice-president—Administration Capt. Bill Couette
told Executive Board members [read the text
|
watch the video].

“While ATI and North American added new members
to our union, the bump in membership they brought
was tempered by the loss of our Midwest pilots,”
said Couette. “These are true trade unionists who
believe in our union and our brothers and sisters at
AirTran signed an exclusive agreement with their
management to hire these pilots. I am happy to
report that 11 just started training.”

Couette talked about several of the agenda items
for the meeting, including a report from the Career
Security Protocol Committee, and enhancements to the
services provided to ALPA members. “Improving
relations with our members by getting them the
information they need, in a form they can use, and
in a timely manner, is the most basic principle of
good union business.”

“Our members expect results when seeking
assistance from their union,” he said. “Whether they
need Aeromedical advice, assistance with a safety
issue, or something as simple as answering a
question, one of the most important things we can do
as a union is to fully understand and effectively
respond to our members’ needs and concerns.”

Securing our future

“Just as our nation is starting to see light at
the end of the tunnel of economic recession, so too
are we starting to see patches of clear skies
ahead,” said ALPA vice-president—finance Capt. Randy
Helling, in his presentation to the Executive Board
[read the text
|
watch the video].
“As your vice-president of finance, I am pleased to
report that we are making significant progress in
two key areas of our strategic plan—advancing ALPA’s
leadership role as the voice for airline pilots in
the aviation safety and security arenas, and
exercising fiscal discipline to maintain our
Association’s financial viability.”

Helling provided an overview of the Association’s
finances. “Your collective efforts have helped us
continue to provide world-class services while
operating on much leaner budgets in other ways as
well. I speak for all the national officers when I
thank you all for your efforts. When I called on you
to live within your means, you answered that call.
You and your pilot groups, along with the national
officers, our national committees, and all ALPA
departments, have made hard decisions, cut costs,
and lived within your budgets,” he said.

Speaking about the Icelandic volcano eruption,
the vice-president of finance said, “As operations
gradually resumed, ALPA kept our members informed
and urged them to remember that captain’s authority
is paramount and our common goal is to ensure that
acceptable safety margins are maintained.

“We will take this message to Congress tomorrow
when ALPA Executive Air Safety Vice Chair Linda
Orlady (UAL) is scheduled to testify on pilot
concerns regarding volcanic activity,” he said. “Her
presentation will be the latest step in ALPA’s long
history of urging greater understanding of the
hazards that volcanic activity poses to pilots,
passengers, and aircraft.”

Helling also talked at length about the
Association’s top security priorities: CrewPASS, the
Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program,
secondary barriers, and promoting “one level of
security for cargo operations.”

Other news

In addition to national
officer reports, Helling, ALPA General Manager
Jalmer Johnson, and ALPA Legal Director Jonathan
Cohen provided an update on the settlement of the
Mansfield lawsuit, a risk-management report, and a
briefing on the status of the renewal of ALPA’s
insurance program.

Prater recessed the
Executive Board to allow the four assigned
committees to conduct business of the union and
further the Association’s strategic plan.